guessing that life on the plateau happens at a more comfortable pace than elsewhere since these…read morebridges look to be about a thousand years from being overburdened. still, weather happens so its effects must needs be addressed and a refit after 60 years of service does not seem unreasonable... the original south bound cantilevered steel truss structure opened to traffic in 1955 and after repaying the $10M construction bonds in 1974 the tolls were removed. the newer and less cool concrete arch carries northbound traffic and pedestrians since 1988. so blah blah 3400 feet long; blah blah 80 foot clearance northbound, 85 feet south; blah blah blah... but I think something fishy is going on under the bridge, there's a well appointed boat ramp and a marina of sorts down there and a few folks decided to just throw a line in from the bank...

Who can deny when about to cross a bridge--just about any old bridge-- being at least a little bit…read morescintillated by a sense of daring, and adventure, of limitless possibility and of going into the unknown? Except in this case, at least when heading North, you are forsaking prime Watermelon and state correctional facility territory (the only one in all of Oregon offering dialysis for inmates in renal failure), for the Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington. That's right, Tri - Cities, baby. When one dodgy Eastern WA burg simply isn't sufficiently boring! Bonus: Tri-Cities has the distinction of having the worst Chinese-American buffet I've ever had the pleasure to experience--- Although Super Buffet there in No Po is a newish upstart threatening to re-write the record books in that category.

It's not comparable to neighborhoods like the French Quarter (New Orleans), Beacon Hill (Boston),…read moreor the Jersey Shore, but who woulda thunk MY neighborhood here in Richland, WA was a "Historic District". But my neighborhood of Alphabet Houses surely has a history tied to this country, and it is kind of cool to put your residence in a historical context. Now, what drove me to write this Yelp was my noticing of historic signs popping up on Van Giesen during my drives to work in the morn. One by one, I started to see little black signs magically appear on the corners of various streets: McPherson Ave, Marshall Ave, Warren Ct, Mahan Ave, etc. Now these signs are due to the effort of a local group honoring veterans, so isn't totally Historic District-related, but it certainly helps for telling the stories history. As for the Alphabet housing. During the war effort of World War II, the small farming of town transformed from a small farming town to a metropolis of secrecy (fuel for the first atomic bombs were built on the Hanford Site). Richland Population: 1943: 500 1945: 25,000 (!!) The huge change in population needed to be handled quickly. Yes, many soldiers were housed in tents and temporary barracks, but scientists, technicians, and management (along with their families), needed honest to goodness homes. An architect from Spokane was given 90 days to design homes and neighborhoods for the huge influx of people: enter the alphabet houses (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/z_1wFu2h3fGTsjBo6jfv2A?select=TfltN_vfiTmYtBImYep2tg). Each home design was assigned a letter (hence the term "alphabet houses"). The houses range from tiny 1-bedroom houses to huge two-story duplexes. (for the record, I live in a 2-story 3bedroom, home known affectionately as an F-House). It's over a half century later, and many of these houses are still around and generally in their original state. Some areas of the district are quaint and DO look historical, but other neighborhoods do look a wee bit ghetto (like my 'hood!). This is home, and it's nice to know the history behind the area. If you ever get the chance, you should drop by the CREHST Museum (http://www.yelp.com/biz/crehst-museum-richland). There's a cool exhibit about the Alphabet Houses.

The alphabet housing "district" in Richland is interesting to say the least - the new small metal…read moresigns giving some history about the street names are neat, but unless you go on a walking tour of the area I can't see how you would read them. This part of town is probably the least expensive part of northern Richland, the houses have been remodeled and modified, a least most of them have, but the area still retains its unique vibe.

I spent a couple of days in Pendleton and stumbled upon this on Yelp. Just a heads-up, you'll need…read moreto book a reservation because the groups tend to fill up quickly--we had 17 people in our group! This was definitely more than we were expecting! The tour was about 1.3 hours long, and you'll need to climb and descend stairs and squeeze into small spaces. If any of that sounds like a challenge, it might not be the right fit for you. Our tour guide was "BRAD," and he was amazing! He's practically "been there, done that." He grew up exploring these tunnels with his friends and has all sorts of stories to share. You'll learn a lot about the history and some simple sayings that will make you laugh and give you a deeper understanding. For example, there's a "Shoot" of whiskey! From the outside, you have no idea how huge this place is, and we only get to see a small part. Don't miss out if you get the chance. We'd definitely go back and bring a friend who hasn't seen it before.

We signed up for the adults (21+) only tour which was $30 a person. It started in the shamrock…read moreunderground bar. The price of the ticket included a free drink token, 3 shots during the tour, and a sample of a local meat company. The tour was led by Matt and is meant for mature adults who don't get upset or offended by certain language. It was such a fun tour. Matt told us the history while making it fun throughout the whole 2 hour tour. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to add a little bit more fun to the tour.

"When you're alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown ... "…read more Walla Walla's downtown has several tasting rooms (at least one fully functioning winery--Seven Hills Winery), several restaurants, coffeehouses (Starbucks at perfect center of downtown--Main and 1st), a visitor center, bronze artworks on the sidewalks, the Marcus Whitman (a historic building), a Macy's (housed in a historic building), Whitman College (on one end), a couple of banks, and several other small locally owned businesses. Street parking (some diagonally, some regular parallel) and a couple of parking lots, are usually sufficient for tourists and regulars (currently, roadwork is causing havoc with street parking and limiting some spaces). The downtown area is very walkable, day or night. So, come on down. I LOVE downtown. "Things will be great when you're downtown!" (Thanks, Petula Clark.)

Downtown Walla Walla has been transformed over the past few years into a quaint yet hip small town…read moredestination. The wine industry has definitely had a major impact on the way Walla Wallans do business. We want people to visit and experience our town. We have a number of quality eating establishments. Not on par with a big city, but enough choices to satisfy anyone who is visiting to sample the local wines.

This historic site serves as a reminder to a part of American history that is pretty much…read moreoverlooked: the clashes between settlers and the Native Americans who already were inhabiting the land. Physician Marcus Whitman and Narcissa Whitman established the Whitman Mission in Cayuse (Native American) territory. The Cayuse initially welcomed the Whitmans, but as the increasing numbers of settlers passing by on Oregon Trail worried the Cayuse, tensions grew. It all came to a head when a measles outbreak in November 1847 killed half the local Cayuse. The settlers were also affected, but fared better. The Cayuse took it to mean that the Whitmans were responsible for the deaths of the Cayuse, as to them, the doctor was the cause of death. The Whitmans and 11 other people were killed, and others taken hostage, sparking the Cayuse War. It ended when five Cayuse men were turned in for being the perpetrators (without clear evidence) and hanged. The visitor's center is built on the site of the mission. The center has a gift shop, a movie, and a small museum to explain the events that occurred here. Outside, there is a trail that brings you to a memorial obelisk, and meanders past the foundations of the mission buildings.

My visit here was awesome and I learned so much about a really pivotal (and sad) moment in history…read more The grounds are beautiful, the small museum was well done, the staff were excellent, and the history at the site is really fascinating. I will definitely be back again some day.

Wow, this tour is AMAZING. It starts with a 15 minute video at the visitor center which explains…read morethe background of the geopolitical climate that prompted the construction of the reactor. It is the first large-scale nuclear reactor ever built, taking uranium and converting it into plutonium-239 (used in the Trinity test in New Mexico and the Fat Man bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan). Then there is a 45 minute bus ride to the B reactor itself (try to avail yourself of the restrooms at the visitor center, but there's a tour bus bathroom and port-a-potties at the reactor itself). The bus ride flew by as the docent talked about the area and his own experience as an engineer. Very engrossing. As you enter, there's another short presentation by a docent explaining the physics behind the reactor, and then you're set loose. There are also small docent-led presentations at specified times too if you want to get more into the nitty-gritty of the design and operation of the reactor. I wish I had more time at the reactor, maybe 15 more minutes, since there was so much to see and read. The exhibits were so well done!

Definitely worth a visit, though most of the buildings that once were on the site at the height of…read moreHanford's operations are no longer there. Everything went on schedule as described. The bus is a comfy coach and the 45 minute ride to the actual Reactor B is enlivened by the tour guide's info about the history and geology of the area, as well as providing background on the construction and challenges of putting together the entire site so quickly. Free bottled water is provided at the site, and there's a good mix of short talks by guides (about 15 minutes or so each) and time to walk around, read info on exhibits, and take photos. Visitor Center is clean, with chairs inside for waiting as well as benches outside. Because we'd driven almost 3 hours to the site, we took advantage of a shady bench to have our lunch. The timing of the 11:45am tour means you'll want to get something to eat before setting off, because you won't return to the Visitor Center for about 4 hours (and there is no food to purchase at the Center, and no food allowed inside the Reactor B building). There is, however, a place to eat next door to the Visitor Center (The Dive) where I can at least confirm that the beer and onion rings are excellent. We got lucky and had a relatively cool (80 degrees) day. Bathrooms at the actual park site (the reactor) are limited to portable toilets, but again, all the info presented from registration to the actual tour were clear, informative, and well done.

It looks like you are in a space without offices or a traditional entry. You will need to enter…read morethru a revolving gate entry, and a security guard will meet you there. If you are 18 or over, please have your government issued photo ID available to enter the visitor's center. The visitor center is awesome! Lots of literature and pictures documenting the lock and dam. Be sure to checkout the fish ladders when entering. This experience starts the curiosity to want more information. The greeter is happy to see people and ready to share information. The facility is clean and ready for guests. This establishment has a lot of history and information to share, and we are excited to have this place available for future resourcing. If you want to learn more about Hydro-power and renewable resources, this is your place! No fees required to enter.

You know, it's not bad, especially for a free exhibit. I would say that the view of the dam from…read morethe outside is more impressive than anything on the inside, but it's still work taking a look. The interior has a view of the fish ladder where you can look at fish through the window and also see the current fish counts (yes, they count every single one, separated by species!). It also has a bunch of historical and informational stuff. However, the strangest thing about the dam is that the entire exterior is controlled by these rather large orb web spiders. No cameras and phones are allowed in the facility, so there's no way to ever get any proof, but I theorize that the humans that work there are actually automatons controlled by these overlords. They're designed to be very friendly and actually rather convincing at times, but I'm pretty sure I know what's gong on here. One visit is plenty for me, but I do think that everyone should see it once -- just don't offend the spiders because there's no doubt that they're the ones that head this operation.

I love lighthouses and feel that they are a still a novelty to me after living in the Pacific…read moreNorthwest for over ten years and the fact of being born and raised in landlocked states prior to moving to the West Coast. Normally they are along the coast that we go to see and visit but the Clover Island Lighthouse is a river light house for the Columbia River. There used to be quite a few river lights along the Columbia but if memory serves most of them fell into disrepair or torn down. The Clover Island Lighthouse is quite new by lighthouse standards as it was built in 2010 on Clover Island where events are held as well as river views. It also serves a landmark for the island. Being such a new lighthouse I suspect it's used more for tourism rather than for practical purposes but I wouldn't rule that out either as the Columbia River is a very busy river for boat traffic. It's a little bit of a surprise to me that there was even a lighthouse in Tri-Cities as they are definitely situated in the desert but that makes it ironical in a fun way as well. Quite a few of the lighthouses on the coast have similar paint jobs and some are built similarly as well. I know there is a vast array of different lighthouses in all shapes and sizes but those seem to be more common in Michigan from what I gather. So it was quite refreshing to see a lighthouse that was not only new but also has a stucco look to it which is very appropriate for the arid environment and other housing in areas like this. The island is pretty small and there is a restaurant there and Ice Harbor Brewing has a location on the island as well so you can eat and drink along with taking a gander at this cute little lighthouse as well and any marina activities that are available for those with boats.

We stopped here for about 10 minutes to check out the lighthouse when we were in the area. It's a…read morenice quick little stop with some history. There are great views of the water and bridge and there is plenty of parking. It's definitely worth a stop if you have a few minutes. The sunset here was lovely and we were entertained by some jet skiiers on the water. There was also an ice cream vendor but he was closing up when we arrived.

For anyone who appreciates history, architecture, scandal and the Venn diagram where all of them…read moreoverlap, the historic Teapot Dome service station in Zillah, Washington is for you! Located on the main drag in downtown Zillah, this iconic structure is both hard to miss and a poignant reminder that if you are an elected official and do something dumb, it will probably be memorialized forever... Perhaps in the form of an old gas station! For those who are unfamiliar with the teapot dome scandal (like I was until about three minutes ago) - here is a link to a Wikipedia article that will give you some background. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teapot_Dome_scandal In a nutshell, the presidency of Warren G. Harding was rocked by some illegal activity where leases to drill for oil were granted inappropriately. One such place was in teapot dome, Wyoming... Hence the name. Wouldn't you know, those rascals in Zillah, Washington were on the ball and constructed this novelty gas station as a reminder of the past and to give your kids something fun to look at when you would stop for gas. Unfortunately, this place doesn't have active pumps anymore, but they do use it as a welcome center for the community. There's a nice little parking lot out front, some restrooms if you need to stop, and plenty of opportunity for a picture that will remind you of those clever people down in Zillah! Also, I can imagine architects may appreciate all that goes into a place like this. At present, I don't have a good enough appreciation for the complexities of architecture to know whether not this place is a masterpiece or a piece of crap. Either way, it looks like something out of a nursery rhyme and is unique in the service stations that I have ever been privy to. If you're going through the area, it's worth taking a three minute detour to go see this place!

The Teapot Dome Service Station I either got from Atlas Obscura or a book called Weird Washington…read morebut I can't entirely be sure but this place has been on my bookmark list forever and finally got to go to it while on vacation. It's Yelp classification of Local Flavor fits the bill precisely! Historical and unusual this tea pot dome service station was actually a functioning one at one point in time and the building has been kept up and maintained perfectly so it looks quite pristine! Antique gas pumps are nearby to admire, a pic nic table and a memorial nearby. Admission is free and the day I was here I visited with a very congenial gentleman about the nearby area and took some info home about the building and the area. Definitely a cute place to stop! The attraction isn't anything that would be too terribly time consuming to stop at and a good place to stretch your legs and enjoy a service station of the past.